Magneto



Aug. 3- E. B. NOWOSIELSKI 1,921,427

MAGNETO Filed April 13, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. 'Ea'ward B. No wade/ski Aug. 8, 1933.

E. B. NQWOSIELSKI MAGNETO Filed April 15, 1,932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Edward B. A/owos//s/u' Patented Aug. 8, 1933 PATENT OFFICE MAGNETO Edward N owosielski,

Bloomfield, N. J., as-- signor, by mesne assignments, to Eclipse Aviation Corporation, East Orange; N.'J., a Corporation of New Jersey Application April 13, 1932. Serial No. 605,075

8 Claims.

This invention relates to magnetos, and more particularly to high tension magnetos adapted for ignition purposes in internal combustion enines. v

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel magneto structure which is small and light, but powerful and eflicient.

Another object of the invention is to provide a magneto in which the rotor driven circuit breaker is mounted and maintained in a novel manner. In this connection, a feature of the invention is the provision of novel means for lubricating the actuating element, and for holding such lubricating means in operative position.

Another object is the provision of a unitary magneto-distributor involving distinct but interconnecting compartments for the magneto rotor and distributor, the latter being preferably of the jump-spark type.

Another object of the invention is the. provision of a novel magneto-distributor which is completely enclosed, and efficiently ventilated to provide continuous air circulation through the distributor compartment of the mechanism.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a multiple-compartment structure of the foregoing character, novel means for maintaining an air circulation through the distributor compartment, sufiicient to insure against the retention for any considerable period of any serious amount of ozone or other injurious gases which may be formed by the passage of high tension sparks across the distributor terminals, and also sufiicient to cool such gases to such an extent as to remove fire hazards.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent upon an examination of the following specification when read with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment thereof. It is to be'understood however, that the drawings are merely illustrative and are not designed to indicate the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings,

' Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a device embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective partial view of the device shown in Fig. 1; v

Fig. 3 is a transverseview of the. terminal block, with a portion of the block shown in section;

Fig. 4 is a detail view in perspective of the preferred form of timer and distributor rotor; and

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective of the timer contact mechanism shown in Fig. 4. v

In the form shown, the magneto of the present invention comprises a main casing or frame 10 of suitable non-magnetic material such as aluminum, provided with any upper casing member 11 and an end casing member 12 suitably attached thereto as by means of the screws 13. Annular pole pieces 13 and 19 of suitable magnetic material are seated in the ends of casing 10 and retained in position by anysuitable method. Pole pieces 18 and 19 are formed with cylindrical internal surfaces and flat external surfaces adapted to contact with the ends of suitable bar magnets, not shown.

One end of casing 10 and the casing member 12 are adapted to support suitable anti-friction bearings 20 and 21, and an armature or rotor shaft 22 is journaled therein with one end portion 23 projecting outside the casing 10 and provided with suitable attaching means whereby the shaft may be driven from a rotary part of the engine, and having an end portion 24 extending within the end casing member 12.

A composite rotor or armature 25 is formed upon the shaft 22 to rotate therewith, and is composed of a core of non-magnetic material, such as aluminum, and a pair of inductors 26 and 27 adapted to rotate with slight clearance within the cylindrical surfaces of the annular pole pieces 18 and 19. The inductors include pairs of overlapping arms 28 and 29 arranged in quadrantal relation and extending substantially. beyond the middle portion of the casing 10. These inductors are formed of suitable magnetic material such as soft iron, the arms thereof being adapted to rotate in sequence past a pair of arcuate pole pieces not shown, which are preferably constructed of laminated soft iron, and which are located within the central upper portion of the casing 10. As more fully described in my Patent No. 1,853,220, these pole pieces receive an alternating magnetic flux as the 0ppositely magnetized arms of the inductors 26 and 2'! rotate past said pole pieces.

A suitable induction coil having laminated soft iron core 33 and primary and secondary wind-'- ings 34 and 35 respectively, is mounted crosswise upon the top of casing 10 within the upper casing I1, with the ends of the core 33 brought downwardly to rest upon the arcuate pole pieces above described, and thus complete the magnetic circuit. A suitable safety gap is preferably provided for the coil 34, 35 as shown at 32.

The end'casing member 12 supports a suitable anti-friction bearing 88-adiacent the coil 84, 85 andasleeve89isiournaledtherein. Agear is rigidly attached to an out-turned flange 41 of said sleeve by suitable means such as rivets 42, andisarrangedtomeshwithandbedrivenby a pinion 48 suitably keyed upon the end 24 of the rotor shaft 22. The pitch diameters of pinion 48andgear40arepreferablychosensoastoprovide a reduction ratio corresponding to the number of inductor arms 28 and 29 and the number of cylinders in the engine with which the magnetoistobeused. Thusintheformillustrated there are four inductor arms 28 and 29 and the magnetoisadaptedtobeusedwithaninecylinder engine, so that the pinion 48 makes nine revolutions to every four revolutions of the gear 40.

Arotarydistributorspool44havingabodyof suitable insulating material is mounted within the sleeve 89, being retained therein by suitable meanssuchasthestudbolts45(1"lg.4) riveted tothefiangefl of sleeve39andpassingthrough suitable openings in the spool. Aconductor 48 extends centrally through the inner portion of spool 44 and is provided at its inner end with a spring pressed contact member 49 which is adapt- 'edtocontactwiththeterminalwofthehigh tension winding of the induction coil. A radially disposed conductor 51 is in engagement with conductor 48 at the end of the latter, the outer end of member 51 extending outwardly of rotary member 44 to form a distributor finger 51a.

A suitable distributor block 52 is mounted in the upper portion of the end member 12 in proximity to spool 44, and is provided near its periphery with a plurality of terminal members 58 to which the .high tension spark plug cables 54 of the engine are adapted to be attached, by

- means of suitable binding posts 55. As shown, the

stationary distributor points or terminals 53 extend along the block 52 adjacent the path of rota tion of the rotary distributor finger 51a to suecessively receive the high tension current therefrom.

The stationary member 52 is provided with a plurality of radially extending openings 52' for the reception of the ends of the cables 54.

The distributor block 52 is preferably provided with a pilot notch 56 which is adapted to register with a locating pin 5'! extending inwardly from the casing member 12, when the said block is oriented to its proper position. A detachable cap member 58 imadapted to retain block 52 in assembled position, being removably attached to the end member 12 by suitable means such. as stud 59 and bolts 60 (Fig. 2).

The central part of the distributor block 52 may be provided, if the magneto is to be associated with a booster magneto, with a socket connection 55' for connection with said booster magneto, the connection being completed through the spring-pressed contact 58' which engages the outer face of a contact disc 88 mounted centrally in the rotary distributor 44. 7 As shown in Fig. 4, disc 88 is in electrical engagement with radially disposed conductor 89 which is, car-' ried by the distributor spool 44. The outer. free end of conductor 89 is bent forwardly to form a distributor finger 90 adapted to eoact with contacts 53. Finger 90 is spaced from finger 51a asuitable angular distance to provide for p op r timing of the booster magneto. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the direction of rotation of block 44 determines the side on which finger 90 is mounted relative'to finger 51a.

From an inspection of Figs. 1 and 4, it will be seen that fingers 51a and 90 do not make actual contact with the terminals 58, but remain a short distance therefrom as they pass, thereby producing successive lump sparks at the terminals. The effect of the high tension current which is thus caused to jump across is to break; down the surrounding air into its constituent elements including oxygen in the allotropic form represented by the chemical symbol 0 and known as ozone. This electrically formed gas, if not carried away, would unite with the nitrogen and hydrogen which are also liberated by the electrical action, thereby producing acid fumes detrimental to certain parts of the magneto. In order to provide for prompt ejection of these detrimental gases. the compartment enclosing the distributor is provided with ventilating means in the form of openings, one of which isindicated at 98 in the upper portion ofthe casing, and additional openings in cap 58, indicated at 94 (Figs.1and2) to-whichairisledtobe ejected by the provision of diagonally disposed passages 95 through the terminal-block as indicatedinFigalandllAhesaldpassagesbeing disposed at equal intervals about the periphery of the block and near the path described by the fingers 90 and 51a. The rotation of the distributor at its normal speedisof course more thansufficient to insure an ample draught of air through the compartment and thus prevent the formation of a pocket of ozone or other detrimental gases therein, as well as actingto reduce the temperature of such gases sufiiciently to remove all danger of the occurrence of an explosion which might otherwise result upon expulsion of the gases and their resulting contact with gasoline fumes which may be present in the air surrounding the device.

The end 24 of the rotor shaitjj/has rigidly mounted thereon, in any suitable manner, a cam 71 having a plurality of lobes corresponding in number to the inductor arms 28 and 29. A cam follower 72 (Fig. 5) of fiber or other suitable material engages the cam 71. and the mounting and lubricating means for these cam elements are an important part of the invention herein claimed in combination with the ventilating means above described.

As shown. the novel mounting means includes an arm '73 fixed on a shaft '74 'Journalled in the end wall 76a of a cylindrical carrier member 78,

the follower '72 being carried by said arm 73, and maintained in engagement with cam 71 in any suitable manner, as for example, by a coil spring 72a (Fig. 5) carried by an arm '72!) secured to member '18.

It will be noted that the end wall 78a of carrier member 76 divides the space in the lower portion of the cap member 58 and member 12; cam 11' and follower 72 being located to the right of the wall, as viewed in'Fig. 1. The lubricating means preferably takes the form 0 an oil wick 47 that engages cam 71 and is bly mounted in a ing 48 carried on arm'l2b. Lubrication is provided at the other necessary places by oil ducts 91 and 92.

Anarm'l'lisfixedontheouterendofshaft '14, or is formed integral therewith, and carries at its free end a contact '18 adapted to cooperate with a contact 79 (Fig. 4) adiustably mounted on the member 76 and electrically connected to the junction between the primary and secondary winding of the coil 34, 85. The arrangement of thearms'73and'17andthecontacts78and'l9 is such that the latter are normally in engagement, thus grounding said contacts; the engagement being broken by the swinging of said arms under the influence of the lobes of cam '71. Contacts 78 and 79 are disposed to the left of the wall 76a above described, and are thus protected from the grease and foreign matter thrown off from the cam mechanism.

The primarycircuit of coil 34, 35 is completed by grounding the inner terminal of the primary 34. A condenser 80.is shunted across the contacts 78 and 79, as is the customary practice.

The member '76 is rotatably mounted within a cylindrical portion of the casing member 12, and is provided with arms 81 extending through slots 82 formed in said casing member on the opposite sides thereof; said arms being provided with suitable means such as eyes 83, for the attachment of any preferred form of operating mechanism. Angular movement of arms 81 enables the operator to advance or retard the spark. It will be noted that the cylindrical portion of member '76 to which the arms 81 are attached, extends on both sides of said arms, thereby closing the slots 82 at all times and shielding the magneto against inductive radiation at these places.

An opening is formed in the cap 58 to facilitate the inspection and adjustment of the contacts 78 and 79, this opening having a suitable closure such as the cover plate 85 which is retained in position by the spring member 86 centrally riveted thereto and having notched ends engaging in the grooved ends of studs 8'7 fixed in the cap member 58.

There is thus provided a unitary structure embodying a magneto and a distributor which is compact and rugged in construction and wherein the parts are readily accessible for adjustment or replacement.

Although but one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail, it is to be understood" that this embodiment is not exelusive but various modifications may be made and certain features used without other features, without departing from the spirit of the invention. Reference is therefore to be had to the claims appended hereto for a definition of the scope of the invention.

This application is a continuation, in part, of my application Serial No. 373,833, filed June 26, 1929. The only common subject matter claimed herein is the combination of ventilating and lubricating features, as recited in certain of the appended claims. For claims to all other features common to both disclosures, reference is to be had to said earlier filed application.

What is claimedis:

1. A magneto comprising, in combination, a housing, current generating means including a rotor shaft in one compartment of said housing, current distributing means in a second compartment of said housing including a rotor driven contact and an apertured terminal block, the outer wall of said second compartment being apertured to cooperate with said terminal block in maintaining a constant circulation of air adjacent said rotor driven contact, a circuit controlling cam interposed between said rotor shaft and said'rotor driven contact, and means mounted in said second compartment for lubricating the surfaces of said cam.

2. A magneto comprising a housing formed to provide a closed inductor chamber and a compartment containing a rotatable circuit controller, means extending from said inductor chamber into said compartment for driving said circuit controller, terminals in said compartment, said terminals being disposed within spark-jumping distance of the path of rotation of said circuit controller, and means for ventilating said compartment.

3. A magneto comprising, in combination, a frame, current generating means including a rotor shaft mounted in said frame, current distributing means including a rotor-driven contact, a terminal block, a plurality of terminals disposed about said block within spark-jumping distance of the outer end of said contact, said' frame being vented to insure constant circulation of air around and through said terminal block.

4. A magneto comprising, in combination, a sectional casing, cooperating magnetic elements fixed and rotatable, respectively, within one section of said casing, a terminal block and a cooperating current distributing arm in a second section of said casing. and means for rotating said arm in timed relation to the rotation of said magnetic element, said second casing section being vented to the atmosphere to provide constant air circulation therethrough.

5. A magneto comprising a'housing one compartment of which is formed to enclose a rotor. and another compartment of which is provided with an apertured outer wall to-facilitate air cir culation, a cam shaft drivably connected to said rotor, bearing means between said compartments for supporting said cam shaft, current distributing means rotatable in synchronism with said cam shaft, said distributing means including an apertured terminal block for completing the air circulation through said second compartment.

6. A magneto comprising. in combination. a housing, current generating means including a rotor shaft in one compartment of said housing. current distributing means in a second compartment of said housing, including a rotor driven contact and an apertured terminal block, the outer wall of said second compartment being apertured to cooperate with said terminal block in maintaining a constant circulation of air around said rotor driven contact, a circuit controlling cam interposed between said rotor shaft and said rotor driven contact, a partition mounted in said second compartment to form two sub-compartments therein, and means housed in one of said sub compartments for lubricating said cam.

'7. A magneto comprising in combination, a sectional casing, cooperating magnetic elements fixed and rotatable respectively within one section of said casing, a terminal block and a cooperating current distributing arm in a second section of said casing, said second casing section being vented to the atmosphere to provide constant air circulation therethrough, means including a cam shaft for rotating said current distributing arm in timed relation to the rotation of said magnetic element, and means disposed in said second casing section for lubricating the cam surfaces of said cam shaft.

8. A magneto comprising a housing formed to 

